


Tale As Old As Time

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: ?? - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Unrequited Love, a bit - Freeform, but they're still celebs, larry stylinson - Freeform, or so it seems
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 04:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7494672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tale as old as time, true as it can be.</p>
<p>If anyone in the band could actually manage to have a curse thrown at them, it'd be Louis. So naturally, that happens. Louis' life becomes solely dependent on a rose that was thrown at him, together with a book that gives him the clues to escape the claws of death, temporarily. Can Louis find his beauty before the final rose petal drops?</p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>Louis gets cursed, Beauty and the Beast style. Fairytales and others ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tale As Old As Time

**Author's Note:**

> "Solve the riddle, and you will live. If not, death will approach shortly. Good luck. The answers to your questions are in the books."

It was 3am, but Louis wasn't asleep. The worst thing was, he didn't even try to. He knew it would be a futile attempt with his brain running at a million miles per second. Instead of tossing and turning in his bed like you'd imagine he'd be doing right now, he sat on the ground in his ensuite bathroom, clutching onto a rose like it was his lifeline. Well, technically, it was. If all the petals on that rose were to fall off, he would die. He didn't know how it worked, but he didn't dare question it. He was curious once, he paid the price. He wouldn't do it again, even though he bitterly wondered why he had to be punished for being a busybody.

 _Well,_ he figured, _when you put it that way._

You see, a couple hours ago Louis Tomlinson's life was turned from a usual celebrities' to a ticking time bomb of heartbreak, loss, and most importantly, death. How, you might wonder?

If you had any doubt that curiosity killed cats, then you could at the very least be sure that curiosity killed Louis Tomlinsons. Ever since he'd become a widely known celebrity, small and dark alleyways had become his best friends. It was where the spotlights skipped past, where the paparazzi never looked, and where it was quiet. Whatever fear he might have had of them dissipated once he began frequently taking refuge in them. Flash forward a couple of years, when there was a bang and crash in an alleyway, Louis walked ~~nonchalantly~~ mindlessly over towards the sound.

"This is a curse. It can be transferred."

"Okay, great, transfer it!"

"To _whom_?"

That caused Louis to pause in his tracks. A curse? That could be transferred?? Whoever it is, they had to be kidding. Curses didn't exist, and even if they did, Louis didn't see how they could be _transferred_. Right?

Louis considered his options for a couple of seconds. He could either investigate a little more, find out what was going on, and maybe he'd run into a bunch of actors practising their lines or something, or he could back out, turn around, run, and never look back. He took another step forward, hoping that step would help him decide.

And help him decide, it did. Whatever options he had had dissipated, for everything seemed to happen at once.

" **That** guy!"

The next thing he knew, a book and a rose was thrown at his face, causing him to catch them on reflex. Purple sparks exploded from the rose, engulfing him. He felt like he was swimming in flames, they curled around him like a choking vice. _This is not good._ Louis didn't know what was going on, but considering someone was talking about transferring a curse just seconds ago, this was probably it.

_Wait, so they're just gonna leave me here? Without even telling me what this curse is? Wow, that's messed up._

Just as he completed his thoughts, he heard a voice. He wasn't too sure if only he could hear it, like his brain was being commanded by another being to let him know what he wanted to, or it was really loud but no one realised. All he knew is that the voice was unrecognisable, growling, and... slightly bored.

"Solve the riddle, and you will live. If not, death will approach shortly. Good luck. The answers to your questions are in the books."

What the fuck?

Honestly, this was so unfair. It was probably karma that got him here, throwing him in a stupid curse that was going to kill him. Now, tears were beginning to well up in the boy's eyes, and he was unsure of whether it was because of the sheer pain that he was beginning to register at his fingertips, the thorns of the roses tearing into his skin, reminding him that he's alive, _still alive, better than dead_ , or the other voice in his mind screaming that _you're gonna be dead within the blink of an eye, so it doesn't matter anyway._

_Why should you have to succumb to whatever curse someone else wants you to be in? Save yourself._

Louis hiccuped, and stared at his blood-stained hands he felt as if his tears were put on pause, threatening to fall out but put on lower priority because something else was more important. _Save yourself._ What could he do now? When all seemed hopeless, and his death was impending? _Save yourself._ He lunged towards the sink, running his hands and arms under the water. A stinging feeling surrounding his hands as his wounds were caressed by water and soap. _Save yourself._ Thinking about what could help him decode the riddle. _Save yourself._

The book.

What would the book have though? It was empty the last time he checked, and that was not even 20 minutes ago.

Believe in magic.

Doesn't mean there wouldn't be anything now.

He watched the blood drain down the sink, scars of thorns showing now that his skin was clean. The yellow light in the toilet barely lit up the space, but Louis sat in it all the same, turning the cover over with trembling hands.

There was only one word on the book. Tangled. Tangled? Did he have to untangle something? Was this the first word of the riddle? He didn't know. But he could see the silhouette of more words in cursive, still too faint for him to read. Those faint lines in the book were his hope. Hope that tomorrow he would know. That this book would give him the answers, and that he'd open his eyes to live another day. He could live with that. Picking up a small cup and filling it with water, he placed the rose, looking falsely untouched and ethereal, into it. Considering it for a moment, he took it to the window sill. That would give it sunlight, he decided, and yet no one would see. Best of both worlds. Finally, with the promise that the rose would keep him alive, he let his head drop onto his bed, eyes already falling shut, and, exhausted from crying, screaming, clutching and fearing, he was asleep immediately.

**Author's Note:**

> Yell at me on [Tumblr](http://lamelyanonymous.tumblr.com).


End file.
